By Marissa Ramirez
The Edgewood College Leadership Institute for Borderland Research and Education (LIBRE) in the School of Education visited Arizona for the third time to meet with immigration organizations and activists over spring break.
Students that travelled were Vivi Velasquez, Karina Alvarez, Mindy Navarro, Marie Treleven, Zenab Nafid, Jahdai Guerrero, Stephanie Florencio, and Ciara Smith.
“This trip defied all stereotypes of what I thought I knew about my country and myself,” said Nafid. “I view myself as less of an eyewitness, but more energized to become an active variable in my country.
“We cannot keep commenting about how corrupt our government has been without actively striving for a change. We are the change.”
Faculty members included Director of Education Administration and Leadership Gerardo Mancilla, Assistant Professor and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Education Dana Hagerman, and Associate Professor in the School of Education and Ethnic Studies Donna Vukelich-Selva.
These members of Edgewood College were in Phoenix, Tuscon, and both the Nogales and Douglas border.
LIBRE researched three different areas. One group looked at undocumented immigrants, another studied criminal justice and incarceration, and the last researched active organizations in Arizona that are helping with immigration.
Phoenix contacts
Edgewood students and faculty corresponded with several influential people and groups. In Phoenix, they met with DREAMers at Arizona State University, Aliento’s Founder and Executive Director Reyna Montoya, and immigration lawyer Attorney Ray Ybarra Maldonado.
Aliento is a “small non-profit that advocates for immigrants,” according toVukelich-Selva.
Tuscon stops
Then the group headed to Tuscon. They had a meeting with journalist and author Todd Miller, who covers immigration and border issues.
LIBRE also met with Reverend Alison Harrington of Southside Presbyterian Church, where the Sanctuary Movement originated in 1982.
According to the Sanctuary Movement website, it is “a growing movement of immigrant and over 800 faith communities doing what Congress and the Administration refuse to do: protect and stand with immigrants facing deportation.”
Students and faculty visited Sister Eileen Mahony from the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes. She is “currently part of the medical team at the Benedictine Monastery that has become a receiving center for immigrants seeking asylum,” Vukelich-Selva said.
They also did volunteer work at the Benedictine Monastery.
Sisters Mary Rose Obholz and Marilyn Bevers were others on LIBRE’s list of meetings in Tuscon. These nuns offer classes on citizenship for immigrants.
At the border
They also visited the Tohono O’odham Nation. Students and faculty met Ofelia Rivas, an activist who “has a reputation for clashing with U.S. border patrol,” according to an article from The Progressive.
In Douglas, Ariz., LIBRE saw “the wall,” Vukelich-Selva said. Here they met Victor Lopez from the Mexican Consulate.
Students and faculty also met Blake Gentry, a consultant on immigration issues on both sides of the border. On their last day of the trip (March 23), the group spoke with educators in Phoenix.
What the border means
The purpose of this trip was to see what the border means and what it stands for, meet new people, and to understand the differences in quality of life on a new level.
“We begin with the premise that even though we are physically far from the border, the border still exists,” Vukelich-Selva said. “Last semester, this was clear when there were ICE raids in Madison. A lot of students at Edgewood felt really impacted and rattled by what this meant for them and for their families.”
LIBRE wants to understand the experiences of both the immigrant population in Arizona, as well as those who support and advocate for this population. “We would like to understand the lived reality, but through the lens of their stories,” Vukelich-Selva said.
Funding
Funding for the trip came from many departments and organizations at Edgewood College, including the Annual Trustees Fund, the School of Education, the School of Integrative Studies, Bonner Scholars, Community Scholars, the Ebben Research Fund, the COR program, the Office of Student Inclusion and Involvement, and individual donations from Edgewood faculty and staff.
“We are really travelling on behalf of the entire Edgewood community,” Vukelich-Selva said.
Past trips
Similar trips have been taken in previous years. “Two colleagues and I went down to Arizona in August of 2014 to learn more about immigration issues,” Vukelich-Selva said.
One of Vukelich-Selva’s classes is a COR1: Ethnic Studies 150B – Rethinking the Border: U.S. Immigration.
In November 2014, the School of Education hosted Attorney Ray Ybarra Maldonado and Border Studies Professor Angeles Maldonado for a one-week residency.
Vukelich-Selva, along with colleagues Mancilla and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Coordinator Sheila Hopkins, reformed the group as LIBRE: Leadership Institute for Research in the Borderlands in January 2017.
“With the reformation, they took a group of DACA students down to Arizona and “met with a number of people engaged with immigration,” Vukelich-Selva said.
Students plan to share
The students and faculty will be creating digital stories to present at Edgewood Engaged and in different classes on campus.
“This trip has made me realize how broken our system has always been,” said student Treleven.
“It has also changed my outlook on life. Let me remind every single one of you reading this that mass incarceration in the U.S. is in fact legal slavery of people of color, and this land that we stand on was stolen.”
Florencio said the trip showed her “how racist and corrupt the United States really is.”
“It has also made me appreciate my legal status, my parents, and most importantly education. How ignorant our country is due to lack of education really makes me value how important it is to continue to learn and be compassionate.”
Post your comments